Europe and the Challenge of a Defense Strategy Independent from America
Europe and the Challenge of a Defense Strategy Independent from America
Years ago, General Charles de Gaulle, the late President of France, criticized what he called Europe’s excessive dependence on the United States. During his time in power, he tried to reduce his country’s military reliance on America. After him, François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, leaders who came to power in the Élysée, followed somewhat similar approaches. During periods like Gerhard Schröder’s chancellorship and the final years of Angela Merkel, German leaders also spoke of such an approach. However, over these decades, the idea of forming an independent European army, or even something less than that, such as establishing a common defense and security policy, has never gone beyond a European dream.
Now, with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, tensions between the two classic allies are expanding much sooner than in 2017, sounding the alarm for European capitals. Emmanuel Macron, one of the biggest advocates for forming an independent European defense and security policy, has once again stepped forward, inviting his counterparts to Paris to devise a solution for the current emergency situation.
But why, despite years of discussion, numerous meetings, and efforts for policymaking, has Europe never been able to implement such a strategy? It seems there are at least six obstacles in this path.
Dependence on NATO
Most European countries are NATO members, and their defense and military structures are heavily reliant on the United States.
This dependency is serious both in terms of military equipment and strategy, considering that the United States is the largest provider for NATO.
The amount of investment by the United States in military affairs far exceeds that of other member countries of this alliance. In 2023, America spent about 860 billion dollars on military matters, while Germany, the United Kingdom, and France together spent less than 200 billion dollars on their defense and military industries.
In terms of the number of soldiers and military forces, the United States is also not comparable to European countries. According to statistics, in 2023, America had more than 1.3 million active military personnel.
While the total number of soldiers in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France was less than 750,000.
Additionally, the United States has numerous military bases across Europe, and if it decides to withdraw from this continent, European countries will have to spend billions of dollars to compensate for this shortfall.
Technology and Weaponry
Many European countries use American weapons systems, including F-35 fighters, Patriot missiles, and intelligence and satellite systems. Without cooperation from the United States, maintaining and updating these weapons and systems would face significant challenges. In terms of nuclear capabilities, Europe is also significantly dependent on the United States. Facing the threat of Russia as one of the world’s greatest nuclear powers, Europe would have little chance of countering Russia without America’s help.
The United States has stationed its nuclear weapons in several European countries, while only two countries, France and the United Kingdom, have a much smaller number of nuclear weapons. As a result, if the United States steps aside, Europe would need to establish its own nuclear shield against Russia, which is both very costly and dangerous.
Intelligence and Security Coordination
European countries are heavily reliant on the United States for intelligence and security matters.
Agreements like the Five Eyes and extensive security cooperation with the United States form a significant part of Europe’s counter-terrorism and cybersecurity capabilities.
The Five Eyes Alliance is an intelligence agreement between five English-speaking countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
This alliance was established in 1946 with the signing of the UKUSA Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, and other countries later joined. The main goal of this alliance is to collect and share information.
Although EU member countries like Germany and France are not official members of the Five Eyes, they have close cooperation with this alliance, and the influence and impact of the United States on Europe’s security policies cannot be overlooked. Additionally, cybersecurity cooperation between Europe and the United States addresses a significant portion of the threats that the green continent faces in this area.
Financial Issues and Defense Budget
Most European countries have much lower defense expenditures compared to the United States, and if they attempt military independence, they would have to bear significant costs to develop their defensive capabilities. Even now, many European countries do not even meet the agreement to allocate two percent of their GDP to military industries, as approved by NATO.
In 2024, the United States’ defense budget was 967 billion dollars, while in the same year, the total defense budget of European countries was reported to be about 380 billion dollars. Based on this, the United States’ share of NATO’s total budget is estimated to be around 72 percent, while the share of European countries is only about 28 percent.
Internal Disagreements in Europe
The European Union, since its inception, has lacked a unified military force and a single decision-making system in its defense policies. Additionally, EU member countries have different interests and priorities in geopolitical areas.
For example, Eastern countries like Poland and the Baltic states have greater security concerns regarding threats from Russia and emphasize strengthening NATO’s presence in the region.
In contrast, Western countries like France and Germany are inclined to strengthen the EU’s defense independence and reduce reliance on NATO. These differences have led to disagreements over common defense and security policies.
However, now that the United States has decided, as Donald Trump’s defense secretary says, not to focus its main attention on Europe’s security, a new excuse and reason for greater convergence between Eastern and Western countries may arise.
Right-Wing Leaders in Power, Nationalist Politicians Waiting
Although Emmanuel Macron has been speaking about the idea of forming an independent European army for years, his position and popularity within the country are not comparable to previous French leaders who spoke of such ideas.
Mr. Macron has faced many challenges in recent years from right-wing movements led by Marine Le Pen.
In Germany, as polls indicate, Olaf Scholz is nearing the end of his tenure, and after the federal elections this month, he is unlikely to remain Germany’s chancellor. Although right-wing parties in Germany are not coming to power, poll results show that public support for them has reached unprecedented levels.
In Italy, a right-wing leader who has close ties with Washington is already in power. Giorgia Meloni also has friends in Eastern Europe, such as Viktor Orbán, who is considered a serious critic of Brussels and the European Union.
Some of these right-wing groups fundamentally disagree with the idea of Russia being a threat, and they consider the misguided policies of their centrist leaders to be a significant part of the problem of escalating tensions with Moscow. As a result, in such conditions, achieving convergence and reaching a common definition and concept for European military and defense independence seems very challenging and difficult.
Although with the ideas of the new American administration, there may ultimately be revisions in the overall strategies of the European Union towards the United States, the obstacles ahead seem so serious that it leads to expressing opinions about its dimensions with skepticism and caution.